Automatic trip mechanism.



PATBNTED JAN. 9, 1906.

A. E. WATTS.

AUTOMATIC TRIP MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

JUPL

No. 809,345. PATBNTED JAN. 9, 1906.v A. E. WATTS. AUTOMATIC TRIP MEGHANIS-M.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT.Z6, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NVENTOR.

WITNESSES:

VWL A @Myanwy ALFRED E. VATTS, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC TRIP MECHANISNI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed September 26, 1904. Serial No. 225,944.v

l'o all wle/0711, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED E. WATTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Trip Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the Object the provision of mechanism which Y port and the release or operating lever of defor convenience I will call the secondary trip mechanism, adapted to operate the release-lever of the trip mechanism of a camera-shutter, which latter mechanism I will for convenience call the primary trip mechanism, in such manner as that after said primary mechanism has been set for operation to effect when operated the opening of said shutter for either a limited or an unlimited period and after said secondary mechanism has been set for operation and the operation thereof initiated the photographer may abandon control of both of said mechanisms and said secondary mechanism will continue in operation to automatically at an approximately predetermined time initiate the operation of said primary mechanism and at a predetermined time thereafter, if necessary, eHect the completion of said operation of said primary mechanism.

With these and other objects in view it consists in combination'with a suitable supvices to be operated-as, for example, the frame and the shutter-releasing lever of a photographic camera-of secondary tripping mechanism mounted on said support or frame and adapted to automatically operate said release-lever.

It further consists of the constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a horizontal section of my said invention on the line A B of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said invention, partly broken away and omitting some portions of the casing. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the air-cylinder forming part of my said invention. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of fragments of the pistonlock, air-cylinder, and piston-support forming parts of my said invention. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the left side and back of said invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the right side and front of said invention and of portions of a photographic camera upon which it is mounted.

For convenience in describing'the drawings the term left7 as indicating direction is intended to mean the direction indicated in the drawings by the` single-headed arrow, and by the term front as indicating direction is meant the direction indicated in the drawings by the double-headed arrow.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is the bellows of a photographic camera. 2 is the inflexible front wall of said camera. 3 is the shutter-housing of said camera, containing a suitable shutter. 4 is the lens-casing mounted in said housing. 5 is a lens mounted in said casing. 6 is a time-indicating dial. 7 is one of the air-cylinders of said primary shutter-tripping mechanism, said cylinder having no operative value under my said invention, but forming a part of the type of camera illustrated and being shown merely to indicate its relative position to my invention. 8 is a controlling-lever forming part of the primary shutter-tripping devices. 9 is a controlling-'lever connected to a piston (not shown) of a cylinder, (not shown,) but similar in construction to said cylinder 7 and f forming part of said primary shutter-tripping mechanism. 10 is a trip-lever pivoted intermediate of its ends to said housing 3 and engaged at one end with certain of the primary shutter releasing or tripping devices (not shown) mounted in said housing and not included in my said invention. The opposite end of said lever 10 is provided with a striking-table or finger-hold 10a. All parts and arrangements of said primary tripping mechanism are old and well known to the art and trade and are embodied in the wellknown shutter devices familiarly known as the Bausch & Lomb automatic shutters and are not thought necessary to be herein particularly described. Such primary mechanism may without assistance from my said invention control the shutter of said camera and may be set so as in operation to automatically open and close the shutter to expose a plate in said camera for a predetermined period or to open the shutter and keep IOO it open until arbitrarily operated to close the same. To operate said primary shuttertripping devices after they have been set for operation, it has heretofore been the custom for the operator to press his finger down upon the table of the lever 10, thereby operating said lever, or to inject air into the bottom of said cylinder 7, thereby raising the piston in said cylinder and the lever 8, connected thereto, which lever 8 is also engaged by and in the former case raised by said lever 10. In such cases it is iinpracticable for the photographer to go a considerable distance from the camera to take his place in the picture which he is endeavoring to secure.

The object of my invention is to provide devices for operating said lever 10 without regard to the especial construction of the parts which lever 10 is adapted to operate, by using which invention the operator or photographer after setting the primary devices and setting and initiating the operation of the secondary devices is enabled to retire anv desired distance before the secondary devices comprising my invention have acted upon said primary devices. Referring again to the accompanying drawings, there is mounted on said wall 2 by means of a clamp comprising the jaw 11., the set-screw 12, the adjustable bracket 13, the slotted post 14, and the set-screw 15, a casing 16, all of which parts 11 to 16, inclusive, are included in my said invention. Stationed within said casing is a rock-shaft 17, ournaled in lugs or bearings 18, of any suitable construction, upon which shaft is keyed a finger 19, extending outwardly from said casing through a slot 20 formed therein. Coiled on said shaft is a spring 21, secured at one end to one of said lugs 18 and at -the other end to a lever 26, hereinafter described, and adapted to rock said shaft to normally lower the outer end of said 'linger or to force said finger toward one end of its path of travel. Stationed within said casing is a similar shaft 22, journaled in bearings 23 of any suitable description, upon which shaft 22 is rigidly secured a finger 24, extending outwardly of said casing through said slot. Upon said shaft 22 is coiled a spring 25, secured at one end to one ofsaid bearings 23 and at the other end to a lever 35 hereinafter described and adapted normally to rock said shaft to lower the outer end of said finger 24 or to force said -linger toward one endof its line of travel. Upon said shaft 17 is keyed a downwardly-directed lever 26, the foot of which is in set position adapted to be engaged by a block 27, extending from a lever 28, pivoted to saldcaslng at or near its upper end, as at 29, which levers 26 and 28 and block 27 are adapted in operation to arrest said finger 19 at one end of its path of travel. A pin 3() extends from said lever 26 near the lower end thereof and is adapted in operation to strike and swing a pivoted piston-lock, hereinafter described. The foot of the lever 28 is adapted in set position to be engaged by a lever 31, pivoted intermediate of its ends to a lug 32 and extending at its opposite end outwardly of said casing through a slot 33, formed therein. The outwardly-extending end of said lever 31 is preferably cleft, as at 3], to receive and bind a fuse 34. Rigidly secured to said shaft 22 is a lever 35,

`adapted to be engaged by a block 36a, (similar or approximately similar to said block 27,) extending from alever36, (similar or approximately similar tosaid lever 28,) which lever 36 is pivoted at its upper end to said casing and extends at its lower end out of said casing through a slot in the lower end thereof, whereby a finger-hold may be secured on said -lever to set the same. Extending from said lever 28 is a lug 28a, to which is secured one end of a contracting or retracting spring 37, the other end of which spring is secured to a lug 38, extending from said casing. It will be obvious that while said lever 31 is engaged with said lever 28 the action of said spring 37 will be delayed. Extending from said lever 36 is a lug similar to said lug 28a, to which is secured one end of a contracting or retracting spring 37, which is secured at its opposite end to said lug 38, which springs tend to draw the lower ends of said levers toward each other. Pivoted at its lower end to said lug 32 is an irregular-shaped lever, which'is pivoted at its upper end to a plate 16a at the upper end of the casing. Said irregular-shaped lever consists of the arm 39, provided with a shoulder 39a, the arm 39h, the post or upright 39C, the arm 39d, the arm 39f, and the arm 39g. Said arm 39d is provided with a terminal post 39h. A spring 40 bears at one end against the left side of said post 39h and is secured at its opposite end in a fixed anchorage 41, the tendency of which spring is to swing said irregular-shaped lever pivotally to the right. Anchored at one end in a similar anchorage is a heavier or stronger spring 42, extending approximately parallel with said. spring 40 and normally bearing at its free end against the end of said arm 39d and normally tending to force said irregular lever pivotally to the left against the action of said spring 40. The action of said stronger spring is, however, controlled by a lever 43, pivoted intermediate of its ends to a bracket 44, extending from said casing, which lever is provided at one end with a pin 43 a, adapted to bear against said spring 42 and in operation to force said spring 42 away from said arm 39d. The opposite end of said lever is provided with a cam-face, as at 43h, adapted in operation to be engaged by the block 27 whereby the lever 43 is adapted to be held inoperative position. When said mechanism is set, said lever 36 will be engaged and held in set position by the shoulder 39a of said irregular-shaped lever, which IOO - the descending piston.

irregular-shaped lever in coperation with a hereinafter-described timing device will thus delay the operation of said retracting spring 37a. Mounted in said casing is a vertical cylinder 45, provided at the bottom with a suitable permanently open air port 45a, through which air contained in said cylinder below the piston will be slowly forced out by Said cylinder also contains a piston 46 of any suitable construction, to which is secured a piston-rod 47, eX- tending out of the upper end of said cylinder and provided at its outer end with a triangular cross-head 48, near one of the points whereof said piston-rod is secured. To said crosshead, near one ofy the other points thereof, is secured a rod 49, depending therefrom outside of said cylinder and having a foot 50, provided with a beveled rack-engaging edge and a stop 51, which stop is adapted in operation to bear against the left hand of the portion 89C of said irregular lever and during the descent of said piston in said cylinder to slide down said portion 39C and out of engagement therewith at the lower end thereof. For the purpose of guiding said foot it is preferably grooved at one end to engage the barrel of said cylinder -and is also grooved, as at 52, to engage a post 53, erected in said casing. From the third corner of said triangular crosshead depends a rod 54, provided at its lower end with an indeX-iinger 55, which finger is provided with a lug 55a, which is adapted to engage a guide 56 on the back of said casing. The side of said guide is marked with a scale indicating the time in seconds or fractions which will elapse during the operation of said machine between the descent of the ng'er 19 and the descentof the nger 24, the interval of time corresponding to the period of eX- posure of the plate in said camera. A coiled spring 46a is interposed between said piston and the top of said cylinder, which spring tends to force said piston toward the lower end of said cylinder. Stationed within said casing is a piston-lock comprising a lever 57, pivoted intermediate of its ends to said plate 16, alever 58, pivoted intermediate of its ends to said lug or bracket 32, a ratchet-bar 59, eX- tending from one end of the lever 57- to the corresponding end of the lever 58 and secured thereto, and a connecting-post 60, extending from the opposite end of said lever 57 to the correspondingV end of the lever 58. To said connecting-post is secured one end of a contracting coiled spring 61,` the opposite end of which is secured to a lug 61a, extending from said casing, the tendency of which spring is to draw the contiguous side of the pistonlock to the right, and thus cause the opposite or rack-bar side of said lock to swing to the left and yieldingly into the path of the edgeA of said foot 50. lt will be observed that the spring 61 will permit said lock to yield slightly as said foot-50 presses against it when said foot is drawn upwardly along said ratchet, but that when the edge of said foot is opposite a notch in said ratchet said lock or ratchet will advance to'engage said edge and prevent said foot from slipping downwardly, thus in set position locking said piston in its elevated position until the lever 26 is released and carries the pin 30 against said connecting-post 60, forcing the corresponding end of said piston-lock to the left, and thus causing the rack to disengage from said foot 50. Mounted upon the left side of said casing is a signal comprising a rock-shaft 62, journaled in a bracket 63, secured to said casing, which shaft is provided at its foot with a lever 64, adapted in operation at its free end to engage notches 19a and 24a, formed in the upper edges of said fingers 19 and 24, respectively. A spring 65 is coiled about said shaft and secured at one end to said lever 64 and at the opposite end bears against said bracket and tends in action to rock said shaft so as to turn said lever away from said fingers 19 and 24. A sign, as 66, is mounted on the upper end of said shaft 62 in such manner that its end will be presented to the observer in front of the camera at the time that said lever 64 is engaged in said notches; but when said lever is released from said notches the face of the sign will be presented to said observer. A stanchion or cleat 67 is secured in any suitable manner to said casing and is preferably cleft at its free end, as at 67 a, to receive and bind said fuse 34. Upon the left side of said casing is a latch 68, adapted in operation to temporarily engage the lever 31 while the photographer is engaged in securing the fuse 84 t0 said lever-signal. ln operation the signallever 64 is swung backward to the left, the ngers 19 and 24 are raised manually until their notches engage said signal-lever, and said fingers are held up manually while the outer end of lever 31 1s drawn forward and secured by the latch 68, thus locking the inger 19. The finger 24 is still held up manually. The pressure from said lever 3l through said lever 28, block 27, and lever 43 will have relieved the irregular lever from the opposition of the spring 42. The spring40 will then be pressing the irregular lever pivotally to the right against the foot of the lever 36. The foot of the lever 86 is now manually drawn forward, whereupon the shoulder 39a slips behind the foot of said lever 36 and locks the lower end of said lever 86 in its for- Ward position, thus locking the finger 24 in its raised position. The hands of the operator are now free to secure the fuse 34 to anchor said lever 31 to said cleat or anchorage 67. The fuse having been secured, as shown or in any suitable manner, the latch 68 is disengaged from said lever, which then is only kept in set position by said fuse. The fuse is of any suitable material and construction IOO and is preferably adapted to burn for a period approximately predetermined. The cross-head 48 is then manually raised until the index-iinger 55 is opposite the point on the indicator which is numbered with a number corresponding to the length of time which it is desired said shutter shall remain open. It will be observed that raising said crosshead has drawn up said piston and drawn air into the bottom of said cylinder. Air may also enter through the top of the cylinder and pass through or around the piston, which piston will in such case contain a check-valve or be of expansible construction, so that the air cannot pass from below the cylinder to the space above the same. Raising the cross-head will also have drawn up the foot 50 into position for engagement by said ratchet, the ratchet yielding, as permitted by the spring 61, during the upward movement of the foot 50, but returning to engage said foot and prevent downward movement thereof. Said foot 50 at the same time will have come into position to operate as a stop to prevent the swing of the irregular-shaped lever, including the part 39C, to the left. The operator or photographer then lights the fuse and retires to a predeter mined point within the field of the contemplated picture. When the fuse has burned apart, the lever 31 is released, permitting the foot of lever 28 to swing forward under action-of the spring 37, thus releasing the lever 26, which under action of the spring 21 rocks the shaft 17, and thereby lowersthe free end of the iinger 19 against the table 10a, thus operating the lever l0 to open said shutter, the tip of the 'finger 19 then passing below said table 10a. At the same time the pin 30 strikes the post of the piston-lock, causing said ratchet to swing to the right and disengage from said foot 50. At the same time the block 27 is withdrawn from the path of the contiguous end of the lever 43, which lever then ceases to operate against the spring 42 and permits the spring 42 to bear against the end of the arm 39d. The spring 46aL now forces said piston downward, drawing down the foot 50 until the stop 51 on said foot descends below said portion 39C of said irregular lever, whereupon said irregular lever under the impulse of the spring 42 swings to the left, withdrawing said shoulder 39 from the path of said lever 36, whereupon said lever 36 swings backwardly under action of said spring 37a, withdrawing the block 36EL from the path of said lever 35, which latter lever under action of said spring 25 rotates said shaft 22, thus lowering said finger 24 upon the table l()a and operating the lever 10 to close said shutter. At the same time the signal-lever 64 will be released from the notch in said finger 24 and under action of said spring 65 will rock said shaft 62 and swing said signal into operative position to warn the photographer that the plate in said camera has peen exposed.

Another operation of my invention is as follows: In case the primary shutter-tripping devices are set for a limited time exposure my invention may be set in the same manner as heretofore described, except that said cross-head 48 and the parts attached thereto need not be raised. It will now be observed that the stop 51 will not be raised into the path of the irregular lever and that' therefore such irregularlever will operate as soon as the lever 43 ceases to operate against the spring42, whichwill be substantially simultaneous with the parting of said fuse. The fingers 19 and 24 will thus fall together and operate the lever 10, and the regulation of the period for which the shutter will remain open will be left to the automatic devices of said primary shutter-tripping mechanism, formino' no part of my invention, or, if desired, only tle finger 19 need be raised in said second operation, in which case the adjustment of the lever 36 may be omitted.. These are regarded as the two principal operations of my said invention, though it is capable of other operations and may be used for other purposes than in connection with a photographic camera. It will also be observed that my invention may be applied in said first operation to secure an exposure of a longer period or different periods than any limited period of exposure which said primaryimechanism may be adapted of itself to secure.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- IOO 1. In tripping mechanism, the combination of a casing, rock-shafts mounted in said casing, striking-fingers keyed to said rockshafts and extending through a slot in said casing, means adapted to rock said shafts independently of each other, means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of said shafts, and means adapted to regulate the relative time between the rocking of one of said shafts and the rocking of the other of said shafts.

' 2. In tripping mechanism, the combination of a casing, a rock-shaft mounted in said casing, a striking-finger rigidly secured to said rock-shaft and extending outwardly of said casing through a slot formed therein, means for rocking said rock-shaft and means for temporarilypreventing the rocking ofsaid shaft, substantially as described.

3. In tripping mechanism, a casing, rockshafts journaled therein, lingers rigidly secured to said rock-shafts and extending outwardly of said casing through a slot formed therein, means adapted to rock said rockshafts, and means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of said shafts, substantially as described.

4. In tripping mechanism, a casing, rockshafts journaled therein, fingers rigidly secured to said rock-shafts and extending outwardly of said casing through a slot formed therein, means adapted to rock said rockshafts independently of each other, means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of one of said shafts, means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of the other of said shafts and also adapted to govern the first said preventing means, substantially as described'.

5. In tripping mechanism, a casing, rockshafts mounted therein, striking-fingers rigidly secured to said rock-shafts respectively, means adapted toindependently rock said shafts, means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of one of-said shafts and including a timing mechanism, means adapted to temporarily prevent the rocking of the other of said rock-shafts and also adapted to govern the means for preventing the rocking of the first said one of said rock-shafts, substantially as described.

6. In tripping mechanism, the combination of a casing, rock-shafts mounted therein, fingers rigidly secured to said rock-shafts and extending out of said casing through a slot formed therein, a signal adapted in set position to engage notches formed in said fingers and in operative position to disengage therefrom, means adapted to operate said rockshafts independently, means including a timing device adapted to temporarily prevent the operation of one of said shafts and for holding it in setV position, means including a fuse adapted to temporarily prevent the operation of the other of said rock-shafts and to hold it in set position and also adapted to govern the means for preventing the operating of the first said rock-shaft, substantially as described.

7. In tripping mechanism, the combination of a casing, spring-operated rock-shafts mounted therein, fingers secured to said rockshafts and extending outwardly of .said casing through a slot formed therein, levers keyed to said rock-shafts within said casing, pivoted levers having blocks mounted thereon adapted in operation lto engage the first said levers, a pivoted lever adapted in operation to engage the foot of one of the second said levers, a cleat, a fuse adapted temporarily to secure the fifth said lever in operative position to said cleat, a spring-controlled sixth lever adapted in operation to engage the foot of the other of the second said levers, a spring adapted in operation to disengage said sixth lever from the corresponding second said lever, means adapted to temporarily suspend the operation of the last-said spring, means adapted to temporarily secure the continuance of operation of the said sixth lever against the operation of the last-said spring and including a timing device, said timing device being adapted to release said sixth lever at the expiration of a predetermined period, substantially as described.

8. In a tripping mechanism, the combination of a plural number of striking-fingers, means adapted to lower said fingers, means adapted to temporarily secure said fingers in a raised position, automatic' time-regulating means adapted in set position to temporarily continue the operation of the means for securing one of said fingers in a raised position and after being released to permit the operation at the expiration of a predetermined following period of the means for lowering the last-said finger, a time-measuring device adapted to govern the operation of the means for securing the position of the other of said fingers and also adapted to govern the opera tion of the said time-regulating means substantially as described.

9. In a tripping mechanism, the combination of a rock-shaft, a finger rigidly secured Ithereto, means adapted to rock said shaft, means adapted in operative position to prevent the operation of said shaftrocking means, means including a fuse adapted to secure said reventive means in operative position, and) means for retracting said preventive means, substantially as described.

10. In a tripping mechanism, the combination of a rock-shaft, a finger rigidly secured thereto, means adapted in operation to rock said shaft, means adapted in operation to prevent the operation of the shaft-rocking means, retracting means adapted to retract said preventive means, means including an automatic time-limiting device adapted to temporarily continue for a predetermined period the operation of said preventive means against the action of said retracting means and at the termination of said period to release said preventive means.

11. The combination with a suitable support, of fingers pivoted thereon, means adapted in set position to maintain said fingers in raised position and when released to release Y said fingers from such raised position, a timing device adapted to prevent the release of one of said fingers until the expiration of a predetermined period after the release of the other of said fingers and upon the expiration of such period to permit the release of said one of said fingers, a timing device adapted to prevent the release of either of said fingers until the expiration of an approximately predetermined period and at the expiration of said period to permit the release of said other of said fingers.

12. The combination with a suitable support, of a striking member, means adapted to operate the same, means adapted to prevent IOO the operation of said striking member, means tractive means and at the expirationof such period to automatically release said preventive means.

13. The combination of a support, a finger pivotally mounted thereon, a spring adapted to rock said finger, a series of levers adapted to prevent the operation of said inger and to hold it in set position, springs adapted to re.

tract some of said levers, a cylinder, a piston therein, a piston-rod connected to said piston and extending out of said cylinder, a foot carried by said piston-rod outwardly of said cylinder and adapted to engage one ofthe levers of said series when said piston is raised and to hold said lever in operative position, a rack adapted to engage said foot to hold the same in raised position, a spring adapted to hold said rack in operative position, a striking member adapted to retract said rack to disengage it from said foot, a lever adapted to prevent the striking movement of said striking member, a spring adapted to retract the last-said lever, and means adapted to hold I the last-said lever in operative position for an approximately predetermined period.

14. The combination with a suitable support, of a movable finger mounted thereon, means adapted to force said finger toward one end of its path of travel, means adapted in operation to hold said iinger at the other end of its path of travel, means adapted to retract said holding means, and meansincluding a timing device adapted for a predetermined period to delay the operation of said retracting means and at the expiration of such period to permit the operation of said retracting means.

In testimony whereof l hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED E. WATTS.

l/Vitnesses JAMES T. WATSON, WILLIAM J. SrEvENsON. 

